2. Golfer Type: Short & Thick

IF A GOLFER HAS too much mass, either from bulky muscles or a bulky girth, it can inhibit a free-flowing swing (not to mention create a variety of technical swing issues). If you have a set of “guns” or a belly that tends to get in the way, read on and start swinging with more fluidity.

In the photo below right, I’m swinging far too long and out of control. My shaft is well beyond parallel in the backswing, and this leads to a major power leak. This happens because the player tends to think that a big windup is the key to his power. He doesn’t rotate very well because of his bulky frame, so to lengthen his swing, he uses his smaller muscles, “loosening” his hands in the backswing, even losing his grip so his clubshaft swings well out of control. I want my students to make a shorter swing that’s easier to control, seeing distance as a product of a solid strike versus a Herculean lash (as shown in these photos where the club is under my chest and about ¾ of the way back).

To fix your lack of rotation, start your swing with your right foot back (opposite page). This encourages some rotational movement away from the target.

RIGHT FOOT BACK = ROTATION AWAY FROM TARGET

On the followthrough, it’s imperative to better use your body to put all you’ve got into the hit. Take a look at my feet in the two impact photos (opposite page, bottom). In the photo at right they’re “dead” and in the photo at left they’re “alive.” A common trait of golfers with this build is that they find it hard to get their body moving, both back and through. Getting the back foot to “wake up” serves to add more power to the strike, while encouraging clean contact on all of your shots, especially those played with irons, hybrids or fairway metals directly from the turf.

GET FIT!

ALIVE

DEAD FEET

CUTTING SUGAR FROM your diet is the number-one way to shed pounds. Your body is designed to have only four grams of sugar in its blood stream at any given point in time. Excess sugar raises insulin levels as a means of combating the blood’s sugar toxicity. Studies show that as insulin levels rise, so does fat storage. You might think that you’re doing your body good by slurping down a sports drink midround, but the fact is sports drinks and other common beverages are loaded with sugar. For example, a 20-ounce Vitamin Water is packed with a whopping 33 grams of sugar, a 24-ounce Arizona Iced Tea will practically put you in a coma with a 72-gram punch and even a seemingly “healthy” 16-ounce orange or apple juice will hit you with 52 grams of sugar each!

To avoid these sugar shanks, stick to water, coffee or tea, which all have 0 grams of sugar in their natural form. If you still prefer a sweet taste, you can flavor your beverage with an “all-natural” sweetener such as Stevia. Available at most health food stores, Stevia comes in packets that are easily storable in your golf bag.

Need more mobility? Check out the Titleist Performance Institute’s website (www.mytpi.com). This free site features tons of information, including movement screens and mobility exercises.